Accessible Listening: Inclusive Uses of Sound in the Classroom
This program will examine when and how to accessibly use sonic media in the classroom. Hearing is a biological process; the act of listening is a social process. Both can provide barriers to learning. The way that we hear and listen is deeply informed not only by physiological abilities, but also by conscious and unconscious cultural perspectives. No one student will hear or listen to (and interpret) sound-based educational materials in the same way. Further, many students are d/Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or have audio processing disabilities. This session will discuss the social and pedagogical opportunities and barriers to using sound recordings, such as music, documentary audio, or audiovisual material, in class (especially in online settings) and will define and illustrate concrete accessibility values and practices that can reduce barriers to aural knowledge, including sound description and captioning.
Speakers
Charles Eppley (they/he) is an interdisciplinary art historian specializing in sound art, disability studies, and digital culture. In the Interdisciplinary Arts & Performance (IAP) program at ASU, Eppley teaches courses in modern and contemporary art, the history and theory of analog/digital media, and perspectives on diversity/inclusivity in the arts.
Prior to joining ASU, Eppley held positions as:
- Visiting Assistant Professor of Media Studies at the University of California, Riverside
- Visiting Assistant Professor of Modern & Contemporary Art at Oberlin College
- Research Strategist at the MIT Media Lab
- Research Fellow in Experiments in Art & Technology (E.A.T.) at Nokia Bell Labs
- Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (in the Epistemes of Modern Acoustics research group).
They serve on the Editorial Board of Resonance: The Journal of Sound & Culture, and contribute as an affiliated faculty member to the new online Disability Studies program in the School of Humanities, Arts & Cultural Studies (SHArCS).